Bathroom remodeling in La Jolla surfaces problems that don't exist at the same rate inland — grout lines saturated with moisture until tile loosens from the substrate, ventilation fans undersized for the humidity load that marine air adds to shower steam, and supply lines in cast iron or galvanized steel that have been corroding since the home was built in the 1960s. Addressing only the visible surface while leaving those conditions in place produces a bathroom that looks new for two or three years before the underlying failures begin showing through the tile work. La Jolla homeowners who have gone through that cycle once understand why the second remodel has to start behind the walls, not at them.